Championship playoffs not fair?

[kingneptuneii]

Cecil Duckworth, Chairman of Worcester Warriors seems to think so:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_u ... 915516.stm

This begs the question... why does he think they would not having the playoffs would help him know where they will be next season? is he suggesting they'd walk away with it? because after some of their performances from last season, PLUS Bristol still being in that league. along with the ressurgence of the likes of Nottingham and Cornwall, he may be setting himself up for a rather eggy visage!


thoughts?

[Bill W (2)]

What is fair?

[Old Hob]

Is he also advocating the end of relegation/promotion? If he isn't then players/clubs are going to be in the same position of not knowing where they'll be as they are now. It MAY be decided early if one club is streets ahead in a lower division and one in the tier above is completely Brad but that tends not to happen.

[big john]

Is he also advocating the end of relegation/promotion?

Not sure he is saying anything of the sort and really when you look at the facts your post makes very little sense Old Hob. The point i think he is making the fact that with the play-offs as they are you have a one in eight chance to go up as not matter how well you do across the season the top 8 still get the chance to go up to be fair in some cases its a long shot at best but when you look at Bristol vs Exeter - Exeter's last league game was 13th march at this point they had to play 9 more games before they new they had gone up this was on the 26th of may.

So looking at the dates how can a club plan ahead when they cant start really until almost the end of may?

If they had played just the league they could have started planing halfway into march, even a top 4 play-off like the prem. it could have been around the start of april.

[wolves tigger]

after reading Mr Duckworths thoughts on the playoffs in the championship i think he is throwing his rattle out of the pram . He states that " how can we prepare as a club for the next season by signing out of contract premiership players when we dont know where we will be playing ". I dont recall him whinging about the playoffs in the premier over the last is it 4/5 years what about glos when they finished top head and shoulders above any other team then lost in the final . Imho mr duckworth your team should play every game as a final then you will be back in the premiership , or is it that you signed some ex prem players this season and they req prem wages and you not got the income .
Playoffs love or hate are a great day out to meet other fans and supporters if you win bonus if not heh better luck next time .

[DickyP]

Quite the stupidest aspect of the Championship play-offs (and the absolute absurdity of bonus points) is that it would be entirely possible, because of bonus points, for a team with a better playing record than the team promoted to be relegated!

[Old Hob]

Big John: I'd forgotten how stupidly complicated the Championship playoffs were and how long they took, sorry. Senior moment. While all the kerfuffle of the groups all playing each other goes on what do the teams who aren't involved do, talk amongst themselves?

[Richard]

A league should go to the last game of the season. What I think mr duckworth wants is for a team to continue going up and down divisions because they are too well financed for the championship and vice versa for the premiership. It is all about planning at both ends of the championship and not necessarily the team with the most moneyand better players held on from their time in the higher division hoping to get a big enough lead at the start of the season to hang on at the end.
Worcester had their chance to improve in the premiership and they blew it....
Now they have to play not at full tilt week in week out but build to the end of the season. Tigers have started to do this in the Premiership by following Wasps example. Even the Magners league has gone over to playoffs.....you know where you stand and you all seem to be following the same targets...leagues knacker you before the silverware becomes available.....
Play offs allow clubs, who have to plan, the chance of promoting the game in their area, by winning the playoffs, and the chance of finincial rewards and developing players for their country.